Policies

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The patient's parent/guardian otherwise known as "guarantor" is responsible for the payment of the account. The guarantor assumes and guarantees prompt payment of all expenses incurred.

NOTICE OF “NON-COVERED” SERVICES

Some services performed by Nadal Pediatrics may be considered “non-covered” by insurance carriers or Medicaid, therefore the guarantor will become fully responsible for payment of these services.

WAIVER OF “USUAL, CUSTOMARY AND REASONABLE” CLAUSES (FOR PATIENTS WITH “UCR” COVERAGE)

Fees charged by Nadal Pediatrics for services rendered to the patient, may exceed the fees considered “usual, customary and reasonable”, due to specialized services and staff. Guarantor agrees to pay Nadal Pediatrics fees in full, even if the amount is greater than what isreimbursed by the insurance company.

BILL TO/PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS COMMERCIAL INSURANCE

Guarantor authorizes and request Nadal Pediatrics to bill the patient's insurance company for services provided to the patient.

NEWBORN MEDICAID PATIENTS

Will be required to produce proof of Medicaid coverage as soon as possible. If the child reaches 1 month of age and no proof is provided, and we are unable to verify coverage, the parent/legal guardian will be responsible for the entire bill.

NON-PAYMENT

If your account is 30 days past due a late fee will be assessed. If your account is more than 90 days past due, you will be advised that you have 30 days to pay your account balance in full. If your balance remains unpaid, you may be notified that you have 30 days to find alternative medical care. During that 30 day period, our physicians will only be able to treat you on an emergent basis, and your account will be turned over to a collection agency.

RETURNED CHECK POLICY

If payment is made by check, and the check is returned as Non-Sufficient Funds (NSF), or Account Closed (AC), the guarantor will be responsible for the original check amount in addition to a $35 fee. Once notified by our office, if payment is not made within 30 days, the account may be turned over to a collection agency and risk being discharged from our practice.

We reserve the right to charge a fee for canceled or missed appointments. We request 24 hours notice for cancellation of appointments.

A fee may be charged for a second missed appointment. The third consecutive missed appointment will result in discharge from the practice.

For new patients, a fee will be charged if the FIRST appointment is missed.

Nadal Pediatrics complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.  Nadal Pediatrics does not exclude people or treat them differently because of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

If you believe that Nadal Pediatrics has discriminated in another way on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, you can file a grievance with: our office administrator, 621 Victoria St Brandon, FL 33510 (813-655-0292). You can file a grievance in person or by mail, fax, or email. If you need help filing a grievance, our office administrator is available to help you.

You can also file a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, electronically through the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Portal, available at https://ocrportal.hhs.gov/ocr/smartscreen/main.jsf, or by mail or phone at: 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

200 Independence Avenue, SW

Room 509F, HHH Building

Washington, D.C. 20201 

800-368-1019, 800-537-7697(TDD)

NOTICE OF INFORMATION PRACTICES

• NADAL PEDIATRICS may use and disclose protected health information for treatment, payment and healthcare operations. Examples of these include, but are not limited to, requested preschool, life insurance or sports physicals, referral to nursing homes, foster care homes, home health agencies and/or referral to other providers for treatment. Payment examples include, but are not limited to, insurance companies for claims including coordination of benefits with other insurers; and collection agencies. Healthcare operations includes, but is not limited to, internal quality control and assurance including auditing of records.

• NADAL PEDIATRICS is permitted or required to use or disclose protected health information without the individuals written consent or authorization in certain circumstances. Two examples of such are for public health requirements or court orders. NADAL PEDIATRICS will not make any other use or disclosure of a patient's protected health information without the individual's written authorization. Such authorization may be revoked at any time. Revocation must be written.

• NADAL PEDIATRICS may at times contact the patient to provide appointment reminders or information regarding treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to the individual patient.

• NADAL PEDIATRICS will abide by the terms of this notice or the notice currently in effect at the time of the disclosure.

• NADAL PEDIATRICS reserves the right to change the terms of its notice and to make new notice provisions effective for all protected health information of the patient. Copies may also be obtained at any time at our offices.

• NADAL PEDIATRICS will provide each patient with a copy of any revisions of it's Notice of Information Practice at the time of their next visit, or at their last known address if there is a need to use or disclose any protected health information of the patient. Copies may also be obtained at any time at our offices.

• Any person/patient may file a complaint to the Practice and to the Secretary of Health and Human Services if they believe their privacy rights have been violated. To file a complaint with the practice, please contact the Privacy Officer at the following address and/or phone number: 621 Victoria Street, Brandon, Florida 33510, 813-655-0292.  All complaints will be addressed and results will be reported to the Corporate Compliance Officer.

• It is NADAL PEDIATRICS 's policy that no retaliatory action will be made against any individual who submits or conveys a complaint of suspected or actual non-compliance of the privacy standards.

• For further information please call 813-655-0292.

TO HELP PROVIDE TIMELY SERVICE TO OUR PATIENTS, WE PREFER TO SCHEDULE ALL VISITS.

If you are later than 15 minutes for your appointment, we will try to work you back into the schedule, or perhaps offer an appointment to you with another provider.

Out of courtesy to our other patients, we may be forced to ask you to reschedule your appointment.

WE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO SCHEDULE APPOINTMENTS FOR ILL CHILDREN ON THE DAY THAT YOU CALL US.

Please call our office ahead of time so that we can minimize the time that you will spend waiting. If you have a medical emergency during office hours, we will do our best to see your child immediately or refer you to the appropriate facility.

• We firmly believe in the effectiveness of vaccines to prevent serious illness and to save lives.

• We firmly believe in the safety of our vaccines.

• We firmly believe that all children and young adults should receive all of the recommended vaccines according to the schedule published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP).

• We firmly believe, based on all available literature, evidence, and current studies, that vaccines do not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.

• We firmly believe that thimerosal, a preservative that has been in vaccines for decades and remains in some vaccines, does not cause autism or other developmental disabilities.

• We firmly believe that vaccinating children and young adults may be the single most important health promoting intervention we perform as health care providers, and that you can support as parents/caregivers.

The recommended vaccines and the schedule of administration are the results of years and years of scientific study and data-gathering on millions of children by thousands of our brightest scientists and physicians.

The vaccine campaign is truly a victim of its own success. It is precisely because vaccines are so effective at preventing illness that we are even discussing whether or not they should be given. Because of vaccines, many of you have never seen a child with polio, tetanus, whooping cough, bacterial meningitis, or even chickenpox, or known a friend or family member whose child died of one of these diseases. Such success can make us complacent or even lazy about vaccinating. But such an attitude, if it becomes widespread, can only lead to tragic results.

Over the past several years, many people in Europe have chosen not to vaccinate their children with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine after publication of an unfounded suspicion (later retracted) that the vaccine caused autism. As a result of under-immunization, there have been small outbreaks of measles and several deaths from complications of measles in Europe over the past several years. The United States experienced a record number of measles cases during 2019, with 1282 cases from 31 states reported to CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases(NCIRD). This is the greatest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000.

Furthermore, we firmly believe that by not vaccinating your child, you are taking selfish advantage of thousands of others who do vaccinate their children, which decreases the likelihood that a child will contract one of these diseases. We feel such an attitude to be self-centered and unacceptable. Even delaying or “breaking up the vaccines” to give one or two at a time over additional visits goes against expert recommendations, is not supported by any scientific data, can lead to unnecessary delays and errors, and can put your child, other children, and adults at risk for serious illness (or even death). It is therefore against our medical advice as professionals at Nadal Pediatrics.

As medical professionals, we feel very strongly that vaccinating children on schedule with currently available vaccines is absolutely the right thing to do for all children and young adults. We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We are more than willing to discuss any questions you may have about vaccines, but do require all new patients to our practice to adhere to the vaccination schedule endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP).